Mohammed Indimi OFR (born 12 August 1947) is a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of Oriental Energy Resources (OER), a privately held Nigerian oil exploration and production company. As of October 2023, his net worth was estimated at US$500 Million by Forbes . His net worth plummeted due to crashing oil prices as well as the floating of the Naira.

Early life and background

Indimi was born 12 August 1947, in

Maiduguri Maiduguri is the capital and the largest city of Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border form ...

the capital of

Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon, its northern border ...

, north-east Nigeria. His father, late Alhaji Mamman Kurundu was also a Hausa businessman who traded in hides and skins. Indimi attended traditional Qur’anic school as it is the general practice of Muslim communities in the

Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...

. He could not attend formal school because his father could not afford to sponsor his formal western education but still managed to learn how to speak, read and write in English.

Career

At the age of 10, Indimi followed his father to local markets around Borno to trade animal hides and skins. In 1963, he became independent and started his own business after he collected 100 pounds loan from his friend Alhaji Umar Tela which he used as a start-up. Eventually, he decided to expand into selling clothes which were imported from

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

and

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. In 1990, Indimi got oil prospecting license granted by the

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August, 1941) is a retired Nigerian Army general and politician. He served as military president of Nigeria from 1985 until his resignation in 1993. He rose through the ranks to serve from 1984 to 1985 as Ch ...

regime. He established an oil and gas firm named Oriental Energy Resources (OER). Indimi served as chairman and board member of several companies including

Jaiz Bank Jaiz Bank Plc, is a bank in Nigeria operating under Islamic banking principles and is a non-interest bank. It is the first non-interest bank established in Nigeria and is headquartered in Abuja, the capital city of the country. , the bank was a ...

Philanthropy

Indimi established Muhammad Indimi Foundation (MIF), which focuses on vulnerable families through the poverty alleviation, fight against hunger, illiteracy and health challenges. He has sponsored native of Borno state to study at the

International University of Africa The International University of Africa ( ar, جامعة افريقيا العالمية) is a private university in Khartoum, Sudan. It is a member of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World. The university has faculties of Educa ...

(IUA) on scholarship in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. Through the MIF, Indimi has empowered and supported people affected by the Boko Haram crisis in the North East. He built a 100-unit N600 million housing estate, provided food, clothing, schools and clinics for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by the

Boko Haram insurgency The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place within the context of long-standing iss ...

. Muhammad Indimi foundation, has built a 100 unit N700 million modern residential estate in Enwang, Mbo LGA

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

. He awarded over 470 scholarships in Akwa Ibom State and created a sponsorship program for University of Uyo's Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering. Indimi donated a multi-million-dollar International Business Centre to Lynn University in the United States, which was named after him.

Recognition

* Indimi was awarded with

Nigerian National Honours Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the First Nigerian Republic, to honour Nigerians who have ...

, Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) in 2012. * He received an honorary doctorate from

Lynn University Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida. Founded in 1962, the university awards associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. It is named for the Lynn family (Christine E. and Eugene M. Lynn). It has a total ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in 2013 * He received an honorary doctorate from

University of Uyo The University of Uyo is located in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The university was formerly known as the University of Cross River State, Uyouniuyo.edu.ng. On 1 October 1991 the Federal government of Nigeria established it as a ...

in 2017 * He won the

Vanguard (Nigeria) ''Vanguard'' is a daily newspaper published by Vanguard Media, based in Lagos, Nigeria. Vanguard Media was established in 1984 by veteran journalist Sam Amuka-Pemu with three friends. The paper has an online edition. It is one of the few newsp ...

Businessman of the Year in 2017 * He received an honorary doctorate from Nigeria Defense Academy in 2018

Personal life

Indimi is married to Fatima Mustapha Haruna. He has 20 children including Jibrila, Yakolo, Ibrahim, Ahmed, Ameena, Mustapha, Rukaiya, Hauwa, Amina, Zara, Mairama, Amouna, Meram, Habibi, Tijjani, Aya, Abdulrahman, Abdullah, Fatima and Adama.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indimi, Mohammed 1947 births Living people Kanuri people People from Maiduguri People from Borno State Nigerian Muslims Nigerian businesspeople in the oil industry Nigerian billionaires Nigerian company founders Founders of charities 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople 21st-century Nigerian businesspeople Nigerian philanthropists